What Are the 10 Priority Food Allergens in Canada?
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) has grouped 10 priority food allergens food processors must control. They are: • Peanuts • Tree nuts (almonds, cashews, hazelnuts, pecans, walnuts, pistachios) • Fish • Shellfish (ex: clams, mussels, scallops) and Crustaceans (ex: lobster, shrimps, crab) • Eggs • Milk • Soy • Sesame seeds • Wheat • Sulphites (above 10 part per million), such as sulphur dioxide and sodium metabisulphites The first nine allergens are proteins and survive all food processing conditions (e.g cooking, deep freezing). Sulphites are not proteins; they are included because they can cause adverse reactions in some people (e.g. asthma attack). These 10 prioritized allergens cause 90 percent of the severe allergic reactions that affect Canadians. However, there are currently 161 known food allergens that can cause anaphylactic reactions. Why Are Allergens Important to Food Processors? Food allergens are becoming increasingly significant to food processors because they ca
